FYS 101 training for lead instructors and peer leaders provided guidance regarding a new curriculum component, "My Orange Tree," a Syracuse-themed identity reflection exercise.
First Year Seminar Gets a Student-Driven Makeover
When almost 6,000 first-year and transfer students filled out their  (FYS 101) course feedback over the previous two years—a response rate of nearly 72%—the University listened.
The result was a revamping of FYS 101 for fall 2025 that puts student voices at the center of one of the most important transitions in a young person’s life.
The 15-week, one-credit course brings together all first-year and transfer students for a weekly 55-minute seminar built around discussion, experiential activities and written reflection on what it means to become part of a new community. Each section of the course is co-taught by a (faculty/staff/graduate students) and a (undergraduate students).
The course, established in 2021, was meaningfully redesigned based on direct student feedback. “The changes we made weren’t driven by assumption,” says , who directs the program through the University’s . “Students told us what was working and what wasn’t, and we built from there.”
The redesigned course follows a deliberate content arc—“Self, Campus, Community”—that guides students through an inward-to-outward journey over the semester. New case studies and structured group work have been woven into the curriculum, giving students framework to process their experiences together rather than in isolation.
Last fall’s cohort showed marked gains on most of the course outcomes, Schantz says. And last week, the curriculum revision received the Collaborative Inquiry and Action award at the . That event recognizes faculty and staff for examining and enhancing learning and operational success, highlighting exemplary assessment efforts and showcasing impactful initiatives that enhance teaching, learning, operations and the student experience.
Lead Instructors Sought
, assistant director of new student programs in , has served as a lead instructor. “My highest satisfaction in teaching FYS 101 is seeing students grow into themselves socially, academically and personally over such a short period of time,” he says. “I love watching students who walked in feeling unsure, quiet or overwhelmed begin to participate more, build confidence and recognize that they belong at Syracuse.”
That sense of belonging—sometimes elusive in a student’s first weeks on campus—is the driving purpose behind FYS 101, Schantz says. Now shaped by the students it serves, the course is stronger than ever.
Applications Due April 24
Applications are now open for Fall 2026 FYS 101 lead instructors. The role is open to faculty, staff and graduate students without assistantships. Curriculum, course guides, rubrics and Blackboard infrastructure are already in place, so instructors facilitate rather than build from scratch. Instructors receive a stipend of $2,500 per section.
The application deadline is Friday, April 24. For more information, email firstyear@syr.edu or call 315.443.9035.
